A circuit breaker is an electrical distribution device that is used to control the flow of electrical current into a circuit. The circuit breaker is generally configured to open under abnormal operating conditions, such as a short circuit. In some circuit breakers, when the circuit breaker opens, a stationary contact and a moveable contact within the circuit are configured to separate. The separation of these contacts can create an arc that needs to be cooled/quenched before the heat from the arc destroys the circuit breaker.
Arcs can be cooled using arc quenching gases generated by arc quenching materials within the circuit breaker. For example, the contacts in the circuit breaker may be surrounded by arc quenching materials, such as nylon, fish paper, aluminum tri hydrate (ATH) and the like. When an arc occurs, these materials create an arc quenching gas, but excessive pressures caused by the gases may cause the plastic material housing the circuit breaker to crack or burst.